Half-Light
by RedEyedSurprise
Summary: Hours after Edward left Bella in the woods, the world is attacked by the Heartless. Bella, Charlie and even the Cullens are sucked into a black vortex. They are spirited away to unknown worlds to face unknown danger. And to face known danger that were also able to escape Earth. REWRITE OF "BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARKNESS"
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Twilight.

A/N: Finally, huh? Yaaaassss, I had to get the Harry Potter vibes all written out (not quite though) before I began rewriting this! I hope you guys enjoy the rewrite. The update will be kind of slow, maybe weekly or biweekly. Sorry guys, but I have a job and a family too!

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

Curled up on her side and laying on the cold hard ground of the forest, she could still hear his words. They were etched into her memory and into her heart.

_"You...don't want me?"_

_"No.."_

Bella whimpered and curled even further into a ball. Her yellow rain jacket shielded the majority of her upper body from the dampness of the hard forest floor, but she was beginning to feel it seep into her jeans. It was unpleasant. She wished she was back in Arizona.

She knew she was eventually going to have to get up and somehow get herself home. Home to Charlie, who was no doubt sending out the search dogs for her. It had already been a couple of hours since...Or at least she thought so. All concept of time had been lost since...

Her heart hurt. She almost wanted it to stop.

_**Crack**_

Bella flinched from the sound and was barely able to hold in a yelp. Lightning lit up the sky and her eye lids. She opened her eyes just enough to squint and looked up. There were trees partially covering the sky but she could still make out a dark patch of cloud here and there.

Feeling somewhat lethargic, Bella pulled herself up into a sitting position as the wind began to pick up. It was beginning to blow something awful and she could have sworn there was a howl or two mixed up in there somewhere. The forest trees began to sway with the wind, their great trunks creaking and moaning. The bushes began to rustle violently.

She pulled herself up into a standing position with the help of a small trunked tree. Her back popped as she straightened and arched her shoulders, and then she froze. The violently howling wind had stopped in an instant and the trees grew still. The bushes came to a stop. Except for one directly in front of her.

Staring at the still rustling bush, Bella found herself hoping that it was a frightened animal, a rabbit or a doe. But what slinked out of the bush was most certainly not an animal. It quite possibly wasn't even from Earth.

This shiny black _thing_ was about the size of a five year old. It's eyes were bulbous and just as equally black as the rest of it's body. There were two little antennae on the top of it's head that moved back and forth as if trying to sense vibrations in the air.

The breath that Bella had no idea she had been holding, came out. Her lungs burned as she gasped and back away. She promptly tripped on a protruding root of the tree that had helped her stand. Falling hard on her bottom Bella yelped sharply at the instant pain in her tail bone.

The creature suddenly faced her, attracted by the sound of her painful distress. It bared it's teeth at her. Sharp, gray looking teeth that could have been mistaken for a shark's. It let out a growl that was reminiscent of a stalking tigress. It lunged for her in an instant!

Bella screamed and kicked away from the little monster. With her shoe, she landed a kick straight in what she supposed was it's abdomen. It was sent flying back into the bushes from wence it came. She took this opportunity to scramble up from the floor and she ran as fast as her feet could take her.

Despite the fact that she could not hear anything following her she could not shake the feeling that the little black monster was right on her heels.

There was a blasting echo that rang loudly through the forest. It was coming from the direction of her home. Charlie's home. Bella began to run in that direction, panting loudly for breath. Her calves were burning and even though they were begging her to slow, she picked up her pace.

Gathering all of the courage she had in her, Bella looked over her shoulder. She saw that the little monster was no longer following her. _If _it had ever been following her to begin with.

Bella gave into her body's aching pleas and she stopped abruptly. She bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for much needed breath and rest. Two more booming blasts echoed in the air and they jarred her to the very bone each time. Panic began to bubble in her chest.

"Gun shots," she breathed.

The wind was picking up again, moving the trees and the bushes. She remembered what had came after the wind came to a stop and she did not want to be around for what was to come. She began to run again, panic settling into her very nerves, sending prickly sensations all through her synapses and then bringing goosebumps to her very skin.

A voice was being carried on the wind and Bella knew that voice.

"Charlie!" she screamed. "Dad!"

Jumping over tree stumps and through thickets, Bella was as graceful as newborn doe. She felt a sharp pain on the side of her face and knew that a thorn from the last bush must have caught her skin. She willed herself to forget the pain. Her main objective was her father.

Something was happening. Why else would he be screaming? Why else would he be shooting off his gun? She had to get to Charlie! She had to clear everything out of her mind, everything! Forget the cramping ache in her side from all the running. Forget the still bleeding cut on her cheek from the thorns. Forget that Edward had..._Edward_... NO!

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, stumbled out of the forest and to a stop. Bella was standing in her backyard and she could not believe what she was seeing.

The clouds were swirling overhead and they were black as black could be. And there was Charlie himself, standing in the middle of the lawn. He was still in uniform and his pistol was unsheathed.

He was surrounded by little black monsters.

"Dad!" Bella screamed out in horror.

Charlie fired the gun twice. They were moving around him randomly, but his first shot hit one in the chest, the second managed to get another right through the head. The little monsters evaporated as if they were made from water and disappeared. But just as they disappeared, two more little monsters appeared from the shadows and took their places.

"Don't come any closer, Bella!" Charlie shouted toward her, firing his gun two more times in succession.

Bella stayed her ground, but just barely. Her muscles were tense as if she were on a spring. After one more shot, her father tried to shoot again. She heard the clicking of his glock from where she stood and her heart froze.

"Son of a - ARGH!"

Bella gasped. She watched helpless as one of the little monsters suddenly appeared from out of no where. It was as if it came from out of the ground behind Charlie. It lunged onto his back and then sunk it's shark teeth right into his shoulder.

_You can help him, Isabella..._

Time suddenly slowed down. Voices whispering to her. They were soft and soothing. They were kind voices, though Bella was having trouble discerning which were male or female.

_You are a Chosen One for your Earth, Isabella..._

_You must use the Key Blade..._

It was as if her arm moved on it's own in front of her. It was as if it was pulled up and her fingers were suddenly grasping at the air. They were wrapping around something and she could _feel_ it!

Bella gasped, again. Her hand lit up and it took her breath away. Gold and silver sparks were flying in front of her. They spun around her hand and then began to climb upward. They joined together beautifully until they they formed...

"A sword," she breathed out.

And it was beautiful sword. The hilt itself was a combination of blue and white gold. The blade itself was long, thin and silver. At the very end were two very small and sharp rectangles.

"It looks like a key," she breathed out, utterly entranced by what was in her hand. "A _key blade_."

_Use it well, Isabella..._

_Help your father..._

Time was suddenly speeding up again and she sprang into action. Bella ran to her father just as another little monster appeared from the ground and lunged for her. With a swing she cut right through it's body.

It was as if her body was possessed! Bella stabbed, lunged and jabbed at the little monsters. The moves felt as if they had been ingrained into her every muscle memory. She had never felt more confident and more... graceful! No one would have ever called Bella Swan graceful, unless they had seen her in action now.

When all the little monsters were gone and it looked as if there weren't going to be anymore appearing, Bella turned to her father. Charlie, who had been able to pull the little monster off of himself, had taken a rag from his back pocket and pressed it down onto his bleeding wound. His eyes were wide as they stared at her in amazement.

She dropped her arm and watched as the sword disappeared in a swirl of gold and blue sparks before she threw herself at him. Charlie wrapped his one free arm around her and held her as tightly as he knew she could take.

"I'm so glad your're okay!" she breathed into his uniform with a sniffle.

He laid his chin on the top of her head and sighed. "I'm glad you're okay, too, kiddo. When I came home and you weren't here, I thought for a second that they had gotten you. But I can see now that you've been holding your own without your dear old Dad... By the way, remind me to ask you where you learned how to do that. And where the _hell_ you got that weird sword."

She let out a watery laugh. "Your guess is as good as mind."

Bella looked up at her father with wide eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

He shook his head with a deep frown. "I don't know. I just got off of work. I flipped on the TV and on every channel it's this damn news shit! They're saying it's the apocalypse- Damn it! Here comes another one, Bells!"

She turned quickly and sword immediately appeared in her hand, quicker than before. The monster that Charlie had pointed out was most definitely related to the little monsters they had encountered, but at the same time it was different. As in size different!

It was definitely bigger, taller than the other little monsters. Bella was sure that it had a couple of inches on her.

"Bella," Charlie shouted, reaching out to pull her back. "Don't!"

Before he could get his hands on his daughter, Isabella lunged for it. She was anticipating the feel of her sword cutting through the black monster and watching it evaporate like the others. Unfortunately, with the size difference, also came the speed difference. And boy, was it was faster!

The monster ducked under the swipe of her sword and it sunk into the ground like a rapidly melting wax statue. Bella watched, baffled as the black gooey mess it left behind began to expand quickly around her sneakers.

"Great," she grumbled with a disgusted grimace and began to back out of it.

To her horror, she sank knee deep instantly.

"Bella!" Charlie called out in terror for his daughter.

Her breath began to pick up in panic and her heart thudded almost painfully in her chest. As soon as Bella dropped her hands to pull herself out of the gooey blackness, the sword disappeared. She lunged forward as much as she could to grasp at the hardened ground around her to pull herself out but it was as if the blackness was sucking her in. No matter how hard she tried to wrench herself out of the blackness it sucked her back in little by little.

"Hold on, Bells!" Charlie shouted as he jumped right in.

"NO!" Bella shouted back, but it was too late.

Charlie too was now knee deep in the blackness. He wrapped both arms around his daughter's waist and tried to lift her out to no avail. They were sinking in fast, together now. The blackness was almost to their shoulders. It was hopeless and Bella could feel the anguish in the way that Charlie held her now.

"What do we do, Dad?" Bella asked with a sob. "What do we do?"

This couldn't be happening! Bella's life was flashing before her eyes. Her mother's face when she had dropped her off at the airport. Her first day at Forks High School. The first time she had met... _Edward_...

"Close your eyes, baby!" Charlie said to her sadly, his voice thick with emotion. "Just close your eyes. I'm here, Bells, I'm here with you!"

_Don't be afraid..._

Bella nodded to herself and closed her eyes as the blackness began to suck them deeper, and then deeper still until they were chin deep. Her mind was beginning to grow fuzzy as if she were falling to sleep. Was she falling asleep? Maybe she was waking? Maybe this was all a dream? Oh, God. She hoped this all was some horrible little nightmare.

"Bella! BELLA, NO!"

The blackness was swallowing her whole and the last thing she remembered was...

_Never be afraid, Isabella_...


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Chapter Two down. I don't know why, but I want to call it Twilight Town. Eh, whatever.

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**Chapter Two**

* * *

It was the ache in her back that woke her. The hardness of the ground was unforgiving and it was also wet. Bella pulled herself into a standing position with a groan.

"Not again," and she heard a pop from her back.

She could have sworn that not hours ago she had been picking herself up off of the forest floor. And now here she was, in God knows where! The first thing that she registered was that she was in a cobble stoned alley. There were trash cans to her left. There was also a stack of boxes and crates that seemed to be blocking one side of the alley, but to her relief there was an exit.

In the back of her mind she knew that she sure as hell wasn't in Forks. There was no patch of land in Forks that had a cobble stone alley. The last thing she remembered was Charlie and herself sinking into the blackness.

Bella gasped. _Charlie! _She had no idea where Charlie was!

"Do you need some help?"

Bella tensed and stared with wide eyes at the figure that suddenly blocked the only exit of the alley. She was a young woman in her twenties, wearing a pink strapless dress with brown work boots. Her thick brown hair was pulled into a long braid that fell over her shoulder. Her face was kind and thoughtful.

"My name is Aerith," the woman introduced herself, "and I don't believe that I have ever seen you here before. Are you by any chance from another world?"

Bella was confused, but at the same time, not. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't _not_ be on Earth. Could she? The voices were soft and kind as they spoke to her.

_Believe_...

_Anything is possible_...

She allowed herself to nod, her chest tightening. Bella looked down toward her muddy shoes, her brown hair falling over to partially cover her face. A gentle hand laid itself on her shoulder and gave her a squeeze of reassurance.

"It's going to be okay," Aerith whispered.

_Go with her..._

"My name is Bella," she whispered back. "I'm from Forks, Washington."

"Is that on... Earth?"

Bella nodded.

"I don't know how it happened," Bella wondered aloud. " There were these black monsters... Me and my dad got sucked into this black gooey stuff and then.. Here I am."

Aerith nodded. "Sadly, I think that's everyone's story here in Traverse Town."

_Go with her..._

"Come with me?" Aerith asked softly, her voice comforting Bella to her core. "I was just about to grab something to eat. I'll get you something too, okay?"

"That would be nice," Bella agreed as her stomach began to growl.

"While we eat," said Aerith, "I should probably explain a few things to you about those black little monsters. And I'll explain what I believe has happened to your Earth."

Bella agreed again. She allowed Aerith to lead her into a large courtyard. It seemed as if it was late in the evening. There were tall lit lamps in almost every corner. To their left was an open jewelry shop of sorts and to their right was another shop above of an outdoor tavern. Bella followed Aerith into the outdoor tavern and they sat at one of the many empty tables.

"Backs to the wall," Aerith said softly. "This is one the most secure and safest courtyards in Traverse Town, but you can never be too vigilant."

Bella agreed with the older girl, again. They both watched as a barmaid dressed in a drab brown dress came out and took their orders of the house soup and then left. Her footsteps were hurried as she rushed inside.

"I should start with the little black monsters," said Aerith as she smoothed down her dress. "You see, the black monsters are very complicated to explain. I know that there are many different kinds, but they are _all_ primarily known as Heartless..."

"Where do they come from?" Bella asked, interrupting Aerith suddenly. "They're not...natural. They can't be!"

The older woman patted Bella on the hand. "They're not. The Heartless are literally made up from the darkness of our hearts and souls."

Bella's breathing quickened and her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

"I know what you're thinking," Aerith murmured softly. "You're thinking that this notion is impossible. But let me ask you this... How exactly did you come to be on this new little planet? This planet, so small that it is, that we call Traverse Town?"

Bella believed her. Aerith was right. She remembered sinking into that black gooey substance that the Heartless had turned into. And now she was here.

She wished it were all a dream.

* * *

Traverse Town was an interesting place. There were three districts in total. The 1st District was actually the safest, the 2nd district was not safe at all and the 3rd District was mostly off limits because of the danger. So, of course, the next place that Aerith took her to was the 2nd District.

They literally ran through the district until they came to the Inn. Aerith had paid for two rooms. Bella and Aerith would be taking the room with the two beds and the other room was empty, for now.

"The other room is for a friend, Bella," Aerith had answered when Bella had asked.

In all honesty, Bella had wanted to know who the other friend was. Since her arrival in Traverse Town, she had not seen anyone other than the barmaid when they had grabbed a bite to eat. There was no one on the streets. No one at all. She hadn't even caught a glimpse of anyone looking out of the windows. And speaking of windows, they were all boarded up.

"This place is called Traverse Town for a reason," said Aerith. "It stays half-light all the time. Don't get me wrong, this place can be bustling at times, but that's only when the merchants come on their Gummi ships to sell their foods and merchandise."

She was able to choose her own bed and Aerith was kind enough as to lend her some pajama shorts and top. Bella was exhausted to her bones. She was in the bed and covering herself up to her chin in just a few seconds time. Now, Aerith had no intention of going to sleep yet. Apparently, it was still early in the evening.

"I'll be back after midnight," Aerith promised, her voice soothing.

Bella just nodded, her eyes drooping closed. The sound of the door opening and closing barely resonated with her. As soon as she heard Aerith lock the door, Bella reached over to the night stand and clicked the lamp right off. The room was instantly dark. But through the cracks of her eyes she could make out a faint light coming from the one big window in the Inn room.

Her mind was spinning and swirling. It was like the sea in the middle of a hurricane. She had been exhausted, but the moment she had actively tried to fall alseep... There were too many things on her mind.

She was alone in the new world. There was no Charlie. She had no idea where her father was. There were no Cullens. Bella had no idea if they were even alive! She had no idea if her father was alive! They had to be, all of them! She didn't know what to do if they were dead.

Tears started leaking from her eyes and falling down into her hair line and her pillow. She covered her mouth with a hand to stifle a sob and sniffled.

She cursed her thoughts for thinking the worst. Bella turned away from the window and whimpered into her pillow, willing all the bad thoughts to go away. She rubbed desperately at her eyes, but the tears kept on coming.

"Damn it all!" Bella cursed.

_Don't think..._

_Just sleep... Sleep..._

Her breathing slowed and she could feel her body slacken. Bella sighed and allowed the voices to lull her into a deep sleep.

_**Knock, knock.**_

Bella jumped up into a sitting position, gasping. Someone was at the door. She looked toward the clock on the wall. 2:15AM. Wow, did she really sleep so long? She slipped out of the bed and her made her way to the door slowly.

"Do heartless knock?" she whispered to herself.

Hesitantly, she looked out of the peep hole. Bella let out a breath of relief when she saw Aerith outside of the door. Unlocking the door, Bella opened it with a relieved smile.

Aerith smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry if we woke you, Bella."

"It's okay," Bella assured her. "Did you get to meet your friend?"

"No," Aerith said somewhat sadly. "He didn't show up. But I did meet some new people."

Bella had made her way back to her bed as Aerith walked in. And then she saw the two other figures walk in right after the older girl. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Bella, I want you to meet Donald and Goofy."

With wide eyes and a gaping mouth, Bella watched as a large dog and a large white duck waved at her with friendly.. smiles? They were both dressed in clothes, actual human clothes. The dog, who was standing on his hind legs was walking around like a normal human wearing shoes. The duck on the other hand, who really was the largest duck she had ever seen, wore only a shirt.

"Hello Bella," said the duck. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Donald Duck."

"And I'm Goofy, hyuck," the dog said next, "It's wonderful to make your acquaintance!"

Bella nodded, feeling quite awkward. "Err... yeah. You too, I guess."

"Well," Aerith said, turning to Donald and Goofy. "You know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?"

"Yes," Donald nodded.

"B-but they're supposed to be a secret," Goofy exclaimed, covering his mouth in shock at her knowledge.

Bella frowned, her eyes were beginning to get heavy again. She was becoming more and more drowzy as Donald, Goofy and Aerith spoke.

"All these worlds had been secret because they had never been connected before," Aerith explained calmly. "Until now."

Bella whispered aloud, "until those heartless began attacking."

Aerith nodded. "When the Heartless came everything changed."

Her eyes watered and Bella bit her lip. She turned over in her bed and wished that she would wake up in her own bedroom again. Her bedroom in forks with it's purple wall and full size bed. As she fell back into a deep sleep, she could vaguely make out the comforting voice of Aerith as she spoke on into the night.

"_Edward..." _Bella whispered in her sleep.


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Okay, here is chapter three rewritten somewhat. Most of this is going to be the same, but I'm just adding some changes here and there. In actuality, I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in about five years and I haven't read Twilight fan fiction or the books in like a year and a half. For Kingdom Hearts, I'm going off of Youtube videos of the game and with Twilight, I'm just going off of memory. I'm trying to get the enthusiasm back, but it's coming back to me slowly. There are going to be some major plot changes to the older version of this story, but I'll get to that when I get to those chapters. Remember, guys, this is going to be slow going. Enjoy!

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Chapter Three

* * *

An expensive imported car raced through the freeway with five passengers. Emmett Cullen drove his car with giddy and child-like abandon, just like he always did, while his wife Rosalie Cullen sat in the passenger seat. She flipped through an automobile catalog every couple of seconds feigning boredom, while in actuality she was an inch away from rage.

In the back seat sat the other Cullen Siblings. Jasper and Edward had taken window seats, while Alice had chosen to squeeze herself in the middle of them both. It really hadn't been so hard to squeeze herself in anyhow, seeing as she was so small.

Alice sobbed quietly as they all sat in uncomfortable silence. If she had been capable of crying like a human she would have already ruined her flawless make up. It was times like this she was grateful she was a vampire, but then again she hated it because being a vampire meant that her feelings were much more than a humans.

She leaned on her husband's shoulder for support and his her face in his shoulder.

"Shh now, baby," Jasper whispered with a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's okay."

Alice shook her head almost violently. "No! It's not! I-I want to stay! I h-have to stay!"

Pursing her lips in the front passenger seat, Rosalie huffed. Emmett glanced at her warily and sighed in relief when she chose to hold her tongue. He was the primary one to know that there was no holding his wife back when she wanted to express her feelings and opinions. Not even he could hold her back! And he was her husband!

Edward decided to ignore them all. He knew for a fact that if _he_ gave his opinion they would all turn on him. So turned his pained face toward the window while Jasper continued to comfort his love, holding back from sending out the actual feeling of comfort. He knew how much Alice hated being influenced.

"I really wanted to stay, too," Emmett said quietly, deciding to momentarily breaking the short silence, Rosalie be damned.

His wife rolled her eyes and glared at him. "Oh, please! Spare me! Are you both honestly going to be hung up about some silly human girl for the rest of our lives now?"

"Shut up, Rosalie!" Alice hissed, "You're just jealous!"

Rosalie growled in the front seat and turned in a blink of an eye to give the older vampire the stink eye. "What the fuck would I be jealous of that stupid flesh bag for?"

In his seat, Edward flinched at the slur about his beloved and closed his eyes tight. He knew when to pick and chose his battles, and being stuck in a car with them all was the last place he wanted to start a fight. They were on a freeway, after all! He certainly couldn't jump out and risk a human seeing! He decided to keep his mouth shut and turned away. Jasper, on the other hand, had no choice! He held his wife back who was trying desperately to launch herself at the blonde female vampire.

"Because," Alice retorted cruelly. "Bella is human! Because she actually has a choice of being a vampire, or staying human and having a normal life with children!... Because _you_ were left dying in an alley with no choice at all!"

There was a feeling of shock at Alice's words for a split second. Everyone in the car was affected by her callous words. Eyes had widened and gasps were immediate. Edward was the only one who turned away and almost curled into himself. This was certainly going to get ugly. He wished he had ridden with his parents.

"How dare you!" Rosalie screamed, her catalog was thrown to the side as she tried to get her hands around her sister's throat. "You bitch!"

Jasper hissed at the blonde in the front seat as he fought to keep the two females away from each other. The emotions that were swirling in the car were almost too much for him to take. He was literally fighting back the emotions that were bleeding off of his wife to take Rosalie's head from her shoulders.

"Rosie! No! Stop!" Emmett yelled.

He grabbed her by the elbow and was trying to yank her away. With the other hand Emmett pulled the car onto the nearest exit. Since they were still in Washington state, Emmett was able to find a deserted, muddy road. The car came to a halt and Emmett was able to pull Rosalie out of car as Jasper did the same with Alice.

"Rosalie!" Emmett begged, "Calm down, please! You know she didn't really mean it! Right Alice? Tell her you didn't mean it!"

While they continued to argue on, another car came to a halt behind their own. Carlisle and Esme, the patriarch and matriarch, were out of the car in a vampire flash.

"What on Earth is going on here?!" Carlisle thundered, looking more angry and disappointed than ever before in his life. "What has gotten into all of you?!"

The one to answer had been Alice. She screeched again at the top of her lungs and pointed a manicured finger straight at Edward.

"IT'S HIS FAULT!"

He turned away from them and began to climb out of Emmett's car. Edward went straight toward Carlisle's car as Alice began sobbing again. Try as he might and no matter the distance, he could still hear them. His gift was a curse and so was his vampire hearing. He could even hear Rosalie's thoughts as Emmett began to usher her back to his automobile.

_"How dare she!" _she thought, her anger turning quickly to sorrow. _"How dare she bring something like that up!"_

And then her sorrowful thoughts went right back to the familiar, anger-filled thoughts he was used to hearing from her.

_"Alice is probably right..," _Rosalie's thoughts went on. _"If Edward hadn't made the decision for this family to leave Forks, this wouldn't be happening... I told him to stay away from that stupid, ugly human! This family, that had been together for so many decades, almost a century...! And all it took was that stupid walking blood bag to get a paper cut to ruin us... I know you're listening in... IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU THOUGHTLESS PRICK!"_

Edward raised his head in surprise. His widened eyes met Rosalie's enraged ones. Her top lip raised in a silent snarl and he quickly turned away. He barely registered the presence behind him as he rested his head on the seat in front of him. The dainty hand of his mother squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Sweetheart?" Esme asked him softly. "Are you alright?"

Taking his forehead off of the seat's head rest in front of him, Edward's face contorted and broke right before her. Esme took her son into her arms and Edward laid his head onto her shoulder as he moaned in sorrow silently.

"I can't take it," Edward whispered in sorrow. "I don't know if I made the right choice or not. I know I should be doing this for _her_ own good. But it just doesn't feel right in my gut."

Esme kissed him on the brow before leaning down to whisper in his ear, "your father and I will always support you in whatever you believe is right, Edward. Whenever you want to go back to Forks - to home- you just say the word."

She pulled away from her son and leaned over to the front seat of the car to turn the radio on. Edward sat back and tried to smile, but he was afraid that it came out as a pained grimace instead.

"I want you to calm down," Esme said to him with another kiss to the brow. "Your father and I are going to try to settle everyone down. Hopefully with radio on you'll be able to drown everybody out."

He shook his head slightly before nodding and then watched as she closed the door behind her. The tinted window was still down and he knew for a fact that the radio wouldn't be able to drown anything out. It would only add into the background noise of the family disaster that was still playing out before him. But he decided to try, so Edward closed his eyes and laid his head back as he tried to focus on the sound and voices coming out of the car's speakers.

"We have an emergency bulletin report here at 103.5 KZNP," a man's voice interrupted in the middle of a song.

Edward lifted his head, confused. A bulletin? He reached over and turned the volume all the way up. From the corner of his eyes he could see Carlisle and Esme stop in their tracks and turn toward the car.

"Edward," Carlisle called out. "What's going on?"

He didn't answer his father's question. He only listened as the man's voice came back on the radio. It wobbled with fear and there was a certain kind of urgency to his voice.

"We have just gotten word from the local television station," the radio personality said. "It seems that we - and I mean the United States Government and Military - have lost all contact with Hawaii and Alaska just a few hours ago - "

"The Denali Clan..." Edward heard Esme whisper to Carlisle.

"- And just a few minutes ago it was confirmed that we have also lost all contact with Canada, Japan, Australia and Russia. This seems to be some kind of... I have no other word to call it but - _invasion_.. There is footage coming in from all over the world by eyewitnesses of these little black _monsters_ coming out of these black holes... They just appear out of no where, it's all over the internet! - "

Edward turned his baffled gaze to his father Carlisle who wore the same expression on his own face. A strange feeling was bubbling up in his stomach. It grew as they all listened on.

"- Where ever you are, you need to get home! You need to barricade yourself and your family where they can't get you. Cover all the holes and the gaps in the doors, because these monsters - they're _killing_ people! -"

Everyone's emotions quickly did a 360 degree turn from baffled to horrified.

"- It doesn't matter where you are, " the man said urgently through the speakers as the station began to attract static. "It doesn't matter who you are or how old you are. They find you! These little monsters find you... It's as if they can hear your heart! It's like they can hear your soul!.. And then they find you and they devour it... They devour you and another little monster is left in your place! - "

The radio then went completely silent and then to static. Panic began to take over. The bubbling feeling his stomach was now something he could identify. It was worry. Worry was what made Edward immediately jump in the driver's seat. He began searching for a station, any station on the radio. All he got in return was static.

The panic, worry and horror died down in their stomachs and fear began to take over.

"Oh my God!" Alice began to breath out loudly. "Oh my God!"

"What are we going to do?!" Both Emmett and Rosalie questioned, turning to the Patriarch of the family.

Edward knew exactly what he was going to do. His fear wasn't for himself or his family. It was for his Bella Swan.

In a flash his sister Alice was in the passenger seat beside him. Edward started the car and then took off as the rest of the family watched on. Everyone else hurried quicker than a blink of a human eye toward Emmett's car. Jasper had somehow made it to the backseat of their car. He had been able to catch up as Edward reached the seventy mile an hour notch on the speedometer of Carlisle's car.

"Where are we going?" Jasper asked incredulously as they reached one hundred miles an hour.

"Forks," Edward and Alice answered simultaneously.

Suddenly, Alice stiffened and her golden eyes glazed over. Reaching over from the backseat, Jasper set a hand on his wife's shoulder to settle her as she came back from her vision. Edward grimaced and pushed his foot as far down as the pedal would allow.

"What did you see?" Jasper asked, alarmed to his very core at the feelings that were rolling off of them both.

"Bella!" Alice said with a sob. "We need to go faster! Faster Edward! Drive faster!"

"We should have taken Emmett's car!" Jasper yelled out as he held onto the seat for dear life as Edward swerved in and out of traffic with abandon.

Jasper was probably right, but Edward knew for a fact that if he had set one foot in direction towards Emmett's vehicle, Rosalie would have kicked his ass. Sure he could have anticipated her every move with his gift, but he had never hit a woman before and even in those circumstances he still wouldn't be able to bring himself to hit his sister!

All in all, Edward was very sure that the drive back to Forks, Washington was the longest ten minutes of his life. Emmett, who had actually been able to keep up with Edward's reckless driving, screeched to a halt beside them.

They had arrived right in front of the humble Swan residence. But to Edward's horror it looked as if they had arrived much too late. The sight before the was this:

Charlie and his Bella shoulder deep in a black gooey vortex that was definitely out of this world.

"BELLA!" Edward and Alice both screamed in horror.

Without thinking, Edward launched himself forward, throwing himself feet first into the swirling black vortex. Edward just knew that if he could get his hands on some piece of Bella's clothing or on Bella herself, he would be able to save her!

"Edward!"

He heard the screams of his family as he landed knee deep in the blackness.

"NO!" Edward heard again and he turned his head in horror as Alice, his mother and Emmett joined him in the black gooey vortex. Carlisle, Jasper and Rosalie were next to jump in.

"No!" Edward yelled, "Go back! Please!"

"Oh my God!" Esme sobbed in horror. "My babies! Not my babies!"

Esme reached out in two different directions. She grasped the hand of her husband tightly and the other stretched out toward Edward. He reached toward her as the blackness began to suck them chest deep. Everyone was in absolute shock as they began to reach out to each other, grabbing onto the ones who were closest to them.

"I love you all so much..!" Esme screamed out as she was the first to completely submerge.

Edward cried out as he watched them one by one disappear. First Charlie and Bella, his mother, Rosalie and Jasper. He closed his eyes tight as he tried to block out their screams. This was it after all. This was how he was going to die, he just knew it. And he welcomed it completely now. Edward allowed himself to go limp as the blackness swallowed him completely.

What did he have to lose now anyway? Bella was gone now and so was half of his family. The blackness had taken them. She had been submerged far too long and it had probably suffocated her. But soon, he would be joining her..right? That thought alone brought a smile to his lips and he sighed the last name he wanted to have on his lips.

"_Bella..._"


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Note:** Sorry this took so long. With work and family, its kind of hard to find time to just think and write anymore. What I'm also trying to do is get familiar with the Cullens again. I didn't like them in the Twilight books. Some of them were vampires who didn't fully embrace their vampiric qualities and instincts; wanting to be human. I want them to embrace themselves and thus I shall write them that way. They will be a bit more cut throat. I'm loving it. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

Rosalie Cullen sat up with a grumble. Her eyes were heavy, and for some reason she was in an incredible grouchy mood. She could remember this feeling somewhat from when she was a human. This feeling only ever happened in the mornings and Rosalie had never been a morning person.

It would take the housemaid about thirty minutes to wake her from her beauty sleep and Rosalie would shout curses to the lower class colored girl until the sun went down. She felt somewhat remorseful now. But she couldn't remember that housemaid's name, possibly because she had never learned it in her human life. Rosalie would scream "GIRL" when she needed the girl. That single memory was slightly enjoyable.

What Rosalie would give to be back in her human days again. She could never stop herself in thinking that she could have quite possibly changed her fate. Possibly.

"What the hell," she cursed under her breath, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "This is so bat-shit crazy!"

Seeing as she was a vampire, whom needed no sleep to function, this was pretty crazy when you thought about it. Sleeping should be something that she should not be able to do. But here she was, waking up from what seemed like a _very_ long sleep.

There was a presence laying right beside her. She growled and began to shake her husband's thigh. "Emmett! Get the hell up, lazy bones... We're alive!"

He grumbled and turned over.

"_Emmett!" _she barked.

In an instant, Jasper was up and frowning. His golden eyes were wide and bloodshot as they stared Rosalie down. His sister gasped and snatched her hand away from his thigh as if burned. Jasper was certainly the last person she had thought was right beside her.

"It's me, damn it!" he growled.

Rosalie recovered from the shock quickly and growled back, embarrassed. "I can see that _now_.."

Jasper could feel the utter embarrassment rolling off of his sister and rolled his eyes. In his opinion it was unneccessary, seeing as this was quite a queer perdicament they had found themselves in. As he lifted himself off of the cobble stone floor he hissed. His lower back was actually aching and Jasper couldn't help but aim a glower at the floor.

"The - the holy hell!" Jasper cursed.

Rosalie huffed. "That's what I said."

"Jasper? Rosalie?"

Rosalie gasped and Jasper's eyebrows rose in concern. Sitting on her bottom, just a few feet away, was a groaning Esme Cullen. They were both on alert in an instant and at her side in a blink of a human eye. Jasper gently helped Esme to her feet while Rosalie dusted her off. Esme groaned and held her head in her hands.

"I haven't had a headache like this for decades," Esme chuckled. "Where is everyone? Your father?"

The blonde siblings both glanced at each other before looking back at their matriarch. Esme searched their faces for a positive answer, but she saw none. Wincing at the sudden feeling of despair and utter helplessness, he gathered Esme into his arms. Esme let out a keening whine that gave way to a sob as Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," Rosalie whispered. "It looks like it's just you, me and Jasper at this... where ever the hell we are."

For Jasper, it was all too tempting to give into the feelings and sob alongside his mother. Alice was among the missing, after all. But he realised instantly that he was the oldest of the three and the only male out of them all. He had stay positive and firm even though he knew exactly what they were feeling and thinking because it was the exact same thing he was feeling and thinking.

_Were they dead? Were they alive? And if they are alive, will they ever see them again?... Oh Alice, not his Alice, please God..._

Jasper shook his head and willed himself to be calm and collected. If not for himself, than for Rosalie and Esme. And besides, Jasper would think he would just _know_ if his beloved mate was... gone. Right? Right.

"There now," he said softly, kissing Esme on the top of her head. He pushed a little bit of positive feelings toward them all. "We will find them."

Rosalie had quickly and quietly joined their little family hug. If anything could be said about Rosalie, it was that she was never ashamed of the love she had for her family. She was also never ashamed to show it. Even to her incredibly annoying and 'emo' brother Edward. Rosalie sighed and allowed herself to take comfort in her brother's embrace, her head falling to rest atop Esme's.

"We will," she affirmed sternly. "Even if it take us years to find them. We have the time, right?"

"That's right, darlin'," Jasper nodded, his Texas accent sneaking in.

While the two female vampires took their time to get themselves together, Jasper gave them one last squeeze before he withdrew himself from their embrace. It was time for him to take a look at their surroundings.

Immediately, he knew that they were in some kind of town square. It was dark, so obviously it was in the middle of the night and that would also account for the lack of people. Behind them was a fountain. Jasper could hear the trickling flow of water. The square they were in seemed to be closed off though, which was peculiar to him. The walls themselves were high and painted a soft perwinkle. Then something caught his eyes.

It was a large door with a giant number right beside it: **3**.

Jasper was right infront of the number in the blink of a human eye. He frowned at it and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What does that mean?" Jasper murmered to himself, confused. "Three? Number three what? Number three square?"

He turned away from the number and this eyebrows rose in curiosity. For the first time he noticed there was a hazard blockade in front of a giant metal tube. The tube itself was broken and there were copper and electrical wires sticking out of it.

"Find anything interesting?" Rosalie asked from her position beside Esme.

"Lots," he answered. "Lots of questions, but certainly no answers. I have no idea where we are. This is certainly frustrating."

"Your answer is frustrating," she snapped in reply with her ever present frown in place.

While Jasper did a tour of their surroundings, Rosalie decided to do one of her own. She had already helped her surrogate mother clean herself up a bit. Esme's clothes were straightened, her hair was pulled into a low pot tail. Once Rosalie deemed her mother well groomed, she then wandered off to the fountain that caught her eye.

Every once in a while, Jasper would look back at Esme and Rosalie. He would smile and then turn back to the blockade with a curious stare. His hands twitched and he seemed to be debating whether it was a good idea to put his hands on the obviously broken electrical tube. He decided not to.

Jasper sighed and turned. He had every intention on giving Esme another placating smile, but something caught his eye and had him do a double take. Esme caught his eye and smiled back. She obviously unaware that just a few feet to her side a little black thing had appeared. It was small in stature and definitly not human. It was a little monster with black bulbous eyes and it brought a sense of icey dread to core of Jasper's heart

This little black monster slunk forward until it was on it's hands and knees; nose close to the ground. It reminded Jasper of a lion sniffing around for his prey. Jasper opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish before he choked out a couple of words.

"Don't. Move."

Both Esme and Rosalie froze in their tracks. Jasper growled as it's attention suddenly landed on the nearest living being. Esme was none the wiser.

"Get over here, Mama! Rosalie!" Jasper barked, his Texas twang sneaking through.

Unfortunately this little monster was smarter and faster than they had thought. At the same moment that it took Esme and Rosalie to process what Jasper had said; it attacked. It lunged into mid-air and latched onto Esme's leg, sinking it's gruesome shark-like teeth into her calf. Esme screamed in pain and horror as the little monster growled and ripped away a massive chuck out of the lower part of her leg.

"Esme!" both Rosalie and Jasper shouted as they rushed to her in vampire speed.

Snarling in anger, both Rosalie and Jasper took an arm and a leg. Simultaneously they pulled in opposite directions. The creature gave no indication of feeling pain as Rosalie and Jasper grinned in twin sadistic satisfaction as the flesh of the black little monster gave way in a grotesque and disturbing manner. It's flesh made a disgustingly audible shredding sound as they dismembered the little beast quickly. As soon as they threw the body parts down to the cobble stoned floor they evaporated in a black mist.

Rosalie was the first to come out of her vampiric predator bearing, while it took Jasper a few moments more to control his emotions. The blonde vampire was at her mother's side in a human heart beat. Esme sobbed and clutched her leg in pain.

"My God!" she gasped as she looked down at the wound. "What kind of creature was that?! It actually took a chunk out of her calf, Jasper!"

"Wow! I thought for a second you guys would be needing some help! But it looks like you guys had it covered! Cool!"

Both Rosalie and Jasper couched down protectively in between the intruder and their surrogate mother. They bared their teeth in warning and Jasper snarled, allowing venom to pool under his tongue. The intruder was a girl who looked to be in her late teens or very early twenties. The girl raised her arms in the air in front of her in surrender.

"Whoa!" the girl cried in alarm. "I-I'm not gunna hurt you guys! I just want to help you!"

Rosalie sneered. "We don't need you're help, little _girl_!"

"Hey! What's going on down there?!"

A thin, but tall man with a mustache came running down a set of stone stairs. In his hand he held a gun and he was dressed in an incredibly familiar police uniform. As soon as the man laid his eyes on them, he gaped.

"Holy shit!" he cursed, a smile slowly appearing on his face. "Are you guys alri - Mrs. Cullen!"

"Chief Swan?!" Jasper asked, incredulously. "You're alive?!"

Chief Charlie Swan sheathed his gun and then ran forward. Neither Rosalie or Jasper stopped him, but they did take a step forward when he knelt by Esme's side to take a look at her wound. Esme whimpered and covered it with her hands.

"How are you three even here?" Charlie asked, bewildered. "How are you even alive? You three have to be the first people I've seen from Earth!"

Jasper raised an eyebrow and shared a brief glance with his blonde coven sister. He could feel the confusion and incredulous feelings bleeding right out of her. The human father of Bella Swan spoke as if... as if they were not on Earth. This notion was unbelievable!

Jasper ignored his questions. "What exactly did you mean by that?...'first people you've seen from Earth'?"

Charlie sighed before shaking he shook his head. "Never mind that. Later."

They allowed him to pick up Esme, bridal style. The unknown young woman was still standing at the foot of the steps Charlie had come down. She motion them over before bounding up the stairs, two at a time.

"Come on!" she said, looking back at them over her shoulder. "We have to get her wound healed as soon as possible. These kind of injuries can quickly turn critical if not treated right away!"

Charlie began to follow after the young woman at a more sedate pace but he was stopped by a cold and strong hand on his arm. He was certain that it had been Jasper that had stopped him considering it was a strong hand. But when Charlie turned he was surprised to find Rosalie behind him with a thunderous look on her face.

"What are doing?!" she hissed, her golden eyes like daggers. "We don't know this - this _girl_!"

The last word that had spewed out of Rosalie's mouth had come out with clear contempt and absolute disgust. Jasper could feel the disgust overtake her feelings, but there was also an underlying feeling of rage. If there was one thing the whole family knew, it was that Rosalie hated humans.

Bella Swan, especially.

She hated Bella Swan with a passion that no one understood, except for Jasper. Sure, Edward was able to read her thoughts, but he was still not able to understand the emotions of a woman whose near perfect and deluded life had been completely yanked out from under her in one horrible night.

"Listen," Charlie beseeched with a frown. "I know this girl, okay? She saved me! She's a good girl and you need someone to heal your Mom, young lady!"

With that, Charlie turned right back around and followed the girl up the stairs. Rosalie stomped her foot down with her full vampiric strength and the cobble stone floor crumbled beneath it. She turned to Jasper and glared.

"Why didn't you back me up?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"After what we saw," said Jasper, trying the calm the younger vampire, "we need shelter of some kind. Rosalie, there could be more of those things out there! Look what they did to Esme! What if we run into more than one? What do you think more than one would do to her? She ain't no fighter, sister! And, to top that off, she's injured now! We can't fight 'em off and defend her at the same time, sugar. Them things is fast!"

"We're vampires!" Rosalie growled with clenched fists at her side. "When they find out that she's not bleeding and they can't heal her, we will be _exposed_ for what we are! What do think will happen then, Jasper! They'll try to get rid of us or foolishly think they can kill us!"

Jasper smirked. "Well, if that happens, you know exactly what I would do..."

Rosalie calmed considerably and she smiled for the first time that night. It was a satisfied smile and the dark twinkle in her eye was boarderline predatory.

"We kill them," she said softly and simply, her smile still in place.

Jasper nodded. "We kill 'em, sugar. Let's go."


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's note**: Finally right?

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Wake up!"

Frowning in his sleep, Edward Cullen grumbled. He could feel something hard against his back and it was molded against him almost uncomfortably. The voice of Alice, his younger clan sibling, was calling out to him. He hardly cared to wake, really. For the first time in a very long time, he had slept. For the first time in a long time he had dreamed.

A hot breath was suddenly sighing into the back of his neck.

"My Rosie...So hot.."

Edward's eyes sprang open wide as two tree trunk like arms wrapped around him and squeezed firmly. He hissed and wriggled around like a wild animal, but the arms were firm.

"Get off of me, Emmett!" he growled. "I'm not _Rosie_, you imbecile!"

"What?" Emmett asked, his voice slurring slightly. "Rosie...?"

With one last wiggle, he was finally let free. Edward sprang up to his feet instantly and began to dust himself down. He stepped over the confused and groggy looking Emmett toward his other clan sibling. He could see Alice standing and staring straight up at a peculiar looking score board.

"What...?"

They were in some kind of square. The floor was a pale stone and there were two golden Greek statues a few dozen feet away from them. They towered over the square, and over them.

"Interesting, isn't it?" the familiar voice of his coven patriarch asked from beside him.

Edward nodded, a frown on his face. A niggling feeling of panic was forming in his stomach. With a gulp he pushed it down. Emmett was here, and so was Alice and his father... but where was everyone else? Where was Esme, Jasper and Rosalie?

The niggling feeling of panic was coming back with a vengeance. _Where was Bella...?_

"Stop with the panic, Edward," Alice spoke softly beside him.

He bit his lip and looked sideways at his younger coven sister. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with a happy kind of smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Bella's fine," she assured him.

Alice tapped the side of her head and he saw the knowing glint in her eyes shine. Edward breathed out an unnecessary sigh and then nodded. She gave him another fake smile and then turned back to the massive blue score board as her eyes glazed over. With a mental probe into her mind he was able to see his two other coven siblings and surrogate mother wake up in the middle of a town square of their own. To his disappointment, Alice's vision only got as far as Rosalie walking to inspect a charming looking water fountain.

Edward sighed again and then chuckled. With her back still to him, Alice tapped the side of her head again. Her shoulders were much more relaxed now that she had gotten a confirmation that her mate and other coven members were just fine. Thank the heaven's for Alice's gift.

"Where the fuck are we?"

They both turned to see a groaning Emmett standing with his head in his hands. They watched as Carlisle whacked Emmett on the back of his head. It sounded like a brick on brick, but it was enough for Emmett to look at their coven patriarch sheepishly. He whispered an apology to his patriarch before raising his voice again.

"Really," Emmett whined. "Where are we?"

"You gotta be kiddin' me!"

They all turned in an instant, wide eyed and on the defense. Never before had they been taken off guard in this way. Their vampire instincts were sensitive and fine tuned to sniff and hear anyone coming up on them; and it had never failed them.

Until now, that is, as a small... _creature_ sauntered over to them.

It's lower body seemed to be that of a red haired goat and the top half of it's body resembled a small, but large bellied man. It sauntered, because there was no other way to describe the way it walked, right over to Emmett. Bewildered beyond belief, Emmett watched as this little person looked up at him with an incredulous look upon it's male face.

"Are you tellin' me that you ain't got no idea where you're at?!" the male creature asked, it's accent cultured in a way that sounded distinctly from Brooklyn.

Emmett did a perfect imitation of a fish before he stammered out, "n-n-no! I really don't!... _We_ really don't know where we're at!"

Carlisle whispered to himself in awe and amazement. "He's a satyr... Great Gatsby."

The red haired satyr spread his arms wide in welcome and gestured toward a large pair of green doors. The doors were in between the two gold Greek statues.

"This here is the _world famous Coliseum_!" he announced grandly. "This is where we have the _world famous games_!"

Their confusion was palpable. It was quite clear from the looks on their faces that they were still very much confused. World famous? Surely not, since the Cullen clan had clearly never heard of these _world famous games_.

"What kind of games?" Alice asked, curiously.

"Battling, of course," the satyr answered instantly. A smirk appeared on his face and he looked Alice up and down quickly. "We stick ya in the coliseum with a monster and let ya battle it out for the public's joy, baby. The names Philoctetes... _You_, baby, can call me Phil."

Alice beamed, seemingly having no idea that Phil was flirting. She feigned ignorance, allowing the babbling satyr to give them as much information on this place as possible. The other Cullens, all males mind you, frowned openly at the red haired satyr. All except for Emmett, whom was bouncing on the balls of his feet and clapping his hands in excitement. He grinned down excitedly at the satyr named Phil.

"Count me in!" he boomed. "Where the hell do I sign up?!"

It was Phil's turn to frown as he began to saunter over to the green coliseum doors. They followed him at a human's pace before Phil the satyr stopped. He turned and pointed a small clawed finger at Emmett.

"I really don't think so, kid," he said disapprovingly. "The games are strictly HEROES ONLY!"

He proceeded to point at all four of them in turn. "All of youse! HELL NO! You four look as if a good gust from a pegasus would knock ya over!"

Alice and Edward exchanged a mirthful look before turning back to the satyr. If only he knew what they were really capable of...

Phil's finger was once again pointed to Emmett. "I gotta admit, kid, youse got the look of JUNIOR HERO... But there is no doubt about it, you remind me too much of a kid off his hyperactivity medication! Call me when ya got yourself off of the short bus, kid. I'll think about trainin' ya then."

The satyr then walked into the coliseum, closing the green doors behind him with a loud band. The four Cullen coven members immediately turned to one another, huddling in close. Their faces were equal in measurement of confusion, awe and doubt.

"I doubted myself for a moment about saying this," Carlisle began, softly. "But I think without a doubt _now_, that we must be on a completely different world."

Alice nodded while Edward scoffed. Emmett was quiet, his face still showing confusion.

"That's ridiculous!" Edward scowled. "How exactly did you come to that conclusion, Father?"

"Did you, or did you not just see the talking satyr?!" Alice hissed. "And that black gooey wormhole we all jumped into?! Do you honestly think that was _Earthly_, Edward? And what about the sunlight?!"

Edward crossed his arms and stared up at the sky. Carlisle and Emmett followed suit. The sun? The sun!

"We're not sparkling," Carlisle gasped. "Leaping lizards!"

"But that is not what we should be discussing, right now!" said Alice, her voice turning soft as she turned to Carlisle. "We need to find a way to get to where the others are."

"You want to change the subject at a time like this, woman!" Emmett muttered as he gaped down at his non-glittering appendages. "This is a miracle!"

Alice ignored Emmett's comment. "We already know from my vision that they are all perfectly fine. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Bella."

Carlisle let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for that wonderful news, Alice! The first thing we need to do is get a good grip of our surroundings first."

"I agree with that," said Edward. "Before we figure out how to get out of wherever _here_ is, we need to look around. Recon."

"Reconnaissance, absolutely," repeated Carlisle, giving Edward an approvingly look. "We will split up in twos and begin. Take in as much of this place as you can. Please try to show a human demeanor if you must speak to anyone. Do not show any vampiric abilities. There is no telling if the people here have ever come across vampires before. I really do not wish to flee at a time like this, especially since we have no where to seek shelter."

"Or hunt," Emmett added in with a serious grimace.

Carlisle nodded, looking grave. "Or hunt... We have to keep in mind that we may not find a way out of this place or world right away, so it is imperative that we find a place of shelter. We also have no idea what their currency is. If the opportunity for any kind of paid labor is spotted, take it."

"This place seems civilized enough," Alice chirped. "Perfect English speaking residents so far, beautiful Greek looking architecture and scripture; their clothing on the other hand looks to be hideous! Do you see what those two statues are wearing?! -"

"Focus, sweetheart," Carlisle said, dryly, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

Edward and Emmett looked sideways at each other and shook their heads, both equally amused by their shorter coven sister. Alice will be Alice.

Alice grinned, sheepishly. "Sorry, Daddy."

Carlisle clapped his hands. "Lets get started then."

* * *

"Rise and shine... Well, not really. It never shines here in Traverse Town."

Bella sat up in the Inn Bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She was hoping that she had dreamed everything that had happened, but no such luck. She was still in the Inn with Aerith, and and now there was another person. This new person was a young woman, who smiled brightly and waved.

At a small table was a spread of food and Bella's stomach growled loudly. Her cheeks immediately flushed while both Aerith and the stranger chuckled.

"Come on, Bella," Aerith said softly. "We have seat waiting for you."

As soon as Bella was at the table, the stranger took her hand and began to shake it enthusiastically.

"It's really nice to meet you!" the young woman said brightly. "I am the great ninja, Yuffie!"

Bella smiled hesitantly, unsure what to make of the young woman who had proclaimed herself as a 'great ninja'. "Hi, I'm Bella."

Aerith began to serve Bella some food as Yuffie began to chatter on. She ate slowly, still a little too drowsy. Bella tried to keep herself awake and yawned as she listened on.

"-got done giving my report to Leon and Merlin," said Yuffie. "He woke up just outside of the Traverse Town walls, on the gummi docks. It's a good thing we found him before the Heartless did..."

"Where is Leon, anyhow?" Aerith asked suddenly.

Bella didn't miss the way her eyes had darted quickly to the door that connected to the next Inn room beside them. It was the room that Aerith had also reserved.

"Is he still asleep?"

Yuffie rolled her eyes and huffed. "Puh-lease! _Squall_ never made it to bed! He went to see Merlin after Sora met and left with Donald and Goofy."

Bella perked up at the familiar names.

"Donald and Goofy left?" she asked in surprise and disappointment. "When?"

She had been looking forward to speaking with them. It's not everyday someone was introduced to a talking dog and duck, after all.

"Last night," both Aerith and Yuffie answered together.

"Oh." Bella's enthusiasm deflated as she realized the opportunity had passed her. "Who's Sora, anyway? And, Leon and Merlin? Squall?"

"Oh, that's right!" said Aerith. "I forgot that you didn't meet them. We all met Sora last night while you were asleep. He left with Donald and Goofy to go on an... Important journey, I suppose you could call it."

"Oh, okay," Bella nodded, though she really didn't understand.

"Leon and Squall are actually the same person," Yuffie giggled behind her hand.

Now Bella really didn't understand. "Really? Why does he have two names?"

Both Aerith and Yuffie glanced at one another.

"It's really not our story to tell," Aerith said sadly. "But when our world was destroyed, so was Leon's spirit... so much so that he decided to change his name. Merlin is just a really good friend of ours from our home planet."

Yuffie sighed before she stood from her seat. "I really have to get going. I left the Earthling Charlie all alone at the safe house in 3rd District so - "

Bella stood too, completely knocking her chair back with a clatter. She startled the other two woman, who looked at her in alarm.

"Charlie?" Bella asked, her eyes filling with tears. "Charlie Swan? My dad? You have to take me to him!"

Yuffie obliged immediately and helped Bella get dressed, along with Aerith's help. Thank goodness for Aerith, because it turned out that she had taken Bella's clothes and washed them for her.

"He had asked if we had seen a girl around that might have been his daughter," Yuffie said happily as she led Aerith and Bella out of the Inn and into the darkened streets of the 2nd District. "I was really sad when I had to tell him no. I am so happy we found you!"

Bella huffed and puffed as she kept in step with them as much as she could. They kept at a steady jog and Bella found herself tripping over her feet ever once and a while. They were lead into another district, which Bella supposed was the 3rd District. She couldn't exactly see it from where they were standing, but Bella could see a set of cobble stone steps leading down to a square with a soft periwinkle glow.

A wail of pain cut through the air and they all froze. It was a woman's wail! Yuffie grabbed Bella by the elbow and pushed her gently toward the a house.

"Get inside the safe house, Bella!" Yuffie urgered. "I'll go check it out."

"Come on, Bella!" Aerith said as she ushered the younger woman in the home.

Aerith closed the door behind them. She stepped over to a window and pushed the thick curtain to the side to peer out. It was only a sliver, but it was enough for the woman to peer out.

"Yuffie?" A familiar voice echoed through the quiet of the house. "I was wondering when you would... Bella?"

Turning fast, Bella launched herself into the arms of the man behind. He was still wearing his police uniform and she laughed as he clutched her tightly to his chest.

"I-I thought I would never see you again, Bells!" Charlie whispered fiercly in her hair.

"I know.." Bella whispered back as tears began to fill her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

She hid her face in his chest and cried. They were tears of relief, but also tears of sorrow. She had found her father. But she had not found... him. What were these feelings? Whay was she feeling this? He had broken up with her!

"It's okay, honey," Charlie urged, his voice gruff with emotion. "Let it all out. I got you now!"

And so she cried. Bella cried for him.

For Edward.


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N: Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

"I -," Aerith paused.

She was hesitant in ruining the sweet scene happening before her, but she knew that she had to speak now or forever hold her peace.

"I think something bad has happened."

"Why would you say that?" Charlie asked, instantly looking concerned.

"Yuffie is taking too long."

"We heard a woman scream, Dad," Bella spoke up, her voice soft. "Yuffie went to go see what was happening."

Aerith spoke up again. "I would have gone. But I'm no fighter, I'm a healer. My name is Aerith, by the way."

Unsheathing his gun, Charlie ejected the magazine and then shoved it back in. He pushed Bella toward the direction of Aerith and then walked toward the door with silent determination.

"Stay here, Bella."

Bella huffed. "I want to go with you!"

"I want you to stay with Aerith, Bella, and that's final."

"I can take care of myself, Cha-Dad!"

"Isabella!"

Bella stepped back, startled by her father's yelling voice. Never in her life had her father ever raised his voice at her. She had only ever heard her father yell a handful of times out of real, actual anger. But never had it been at her. She looked at him with wide eyes and swallowed.

"I said to stay here with Aerith," Charlie said sternly.

His face softened suddenly and his voice turned quiet. "I just found you, Bella. I don't want to lose you again... So, stay here in the safe house with Aerith and I'll try to be back as soon as I can. Okay?"

Bella nodded, her eyes watering and her throat closing with welled up emotion. She was afraid to speak, lest her emotions get the better of her. Charlie opened the front door and closed it behind him as silently as he could. Bella hurried to the window and squeezed in beside Aerith to look out. Her father's voice carried through the window as he hurred down the same set of stairs Yuffie had made her way down. Unfortunately, his voice was too muffled for her to make out.

For a couple of minutes, Aerith and Bella stood together. They were arm to arm and silent, staring out the window with almost unblinking eyes. Minutes felt like eternity. She was fighting back the urge to storm out of the safe house and to run down those stone steps to her father and Yuffie.

Aerith suddenly gasped and Bella let out a sigh of relief. Yuffie and then her father were climbing up the stone steps. And there seemed to be an unknown person in her father's arms.

She and Aerith rushed to the door and threw it open.

"Oh, my!" Aerith breathed before giving out orders. "Put her over there on the sofa, Charlie! I must attend to her immediately!"

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was Esme! Bella's breathing and heartbeat picked up, and sweat began to bead on her forehead. She fought back the overwhelming need to launch herself into the woman's arms and feel her cold, hard embrace.

Esme gasped at the sight of her.

"Bella!"

She turned quickly at the new voice and her chocolate brown eyes met with two pairs of molten gold. Both Rosalie and Jasper stood at the entrance of the safehouse, their eyes wide as they took in the sight of Bella Swan.

"You're alive," Rosalie said blandly.

Bella nodded, her eyes wide. "And so are you..."

"There's no time for a reunion kids," Charlie said sternly as he watched Aerith kneel down to take a look at Esme's calf wound. "We need to get their mother fixed up in a jiffy before anything else."

Yuffie disappeared further into the safe house but she appeared out of the hallway again, toting what seemed to be an over-stuffed brown leather bag. She handed it to Aerith, who began to sift through it.

The two vampires moved at human speed to hover close to Aerith and Esme. Rosalie kept a close, glaring eye on Aerith while holding Esme's hand. Jasper had his head bowed. He glanced at Bella, catching her eye.

"Bella," Jasper breathed heavily, though it was unnecessary since he needed no breath. "Bella... About what happened at your birthday party... I- I am _so, so sorry_\- "

Bella's eyes began to burn with tears. "No. No, don't you dare say you're sorry."

He bowed his head again and covered a pale hand over his eyes.

_Shame_. It filled his body. If he had been a human the emotion would have completely over-taken him. His body would have bent forward at the waist and Jasper would have fell onto his knees. If he didn't have as much pride as he did, Jasper would be crawling to Bella on his hands and knees, reaching forward to clutch at her ankles. He would be begging for her forgiveness.

_But she won't_, an ugly whisper said to him in his mind. _Because you're a monster that tried to make her into the vampire version of a happy meal._

A small warm hand suddenly cupped his cold hard cheek. Jasper froze and allowed Bella to bring his head and his eyes to stare up into her watery brown ones. The unnecessary breath that he had sucked in _whooshed_ out of his unneeded lungs.

Acceptance. Sisterly affection. Forgiveness.

The feelings that rolled off of her hit him like a warm, gentle ocean wave. Jasper allowed Bella to pull him into her arms. His arms hung lifeless at his side while she held him firmly.

"I forgave you the moment after all that happened," Bella whispered into his shoulder. "You did nothing wrong!"

As if sensing that he had been about to object, Bella grumbled in his ear.

"I don't want to hear any kind of excuse or reasoning that you think will change my decision. You acted out of instinct. I nor anyone else can blame you for something that is considered instinct to your kind... You're not human. And that's not a bad thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise... Especially E-Edward."

Jasper sighed unnecessarily. A smile slowly formed on his face and that too slowly formed into a watery grin. He lifted his head from her shoulder and Bella gave him a watery smile too as she tip-toed to kiss his cool, hard cheek.

"Thank you, Bella," he said softly. "You don't know how much your words mean to me."

Bella released her grip on the golden eyed vampire, but poked him in the ribs with two fingers as hard as she could. He felt it, though it felt like the brush of a feather.

"It was my pleasure," Bella said, poking him again. "Although..."

Jasper's grin melted away to a grimace. Uh oh.

"... Leaving me without even saying a proper goodbye.. That will take me sometime to forgive you for. All of you."

Bella still smiled at him, though. Jasper took that as a good sign and returned it hesitantly.

"It's not working."

Everyone turned to Aerith, who sighed in obvious frustration. Aerith stood from her kneeling position beside Esme and began to drag a bewildered Yuffie to a dark corner. They all watched as they whispered furiously back and forth. Bella and Charlie had absolutely no idea what was being said, but Rosalie, Jasper and Esme on the other hand...

With their super sensitive vampiric hearing they could hear ever word that was being said between the two girls as if they had spoken it clearly and out loud.

"It's not working, Yuffie," Aerith whispered softly and sadly.

Yuffie looked confused. "What do you mean? What about the Cura spell that Merlin taught you?"

The woman in pink shook her head in negative. "I tried that one first and then I tried the stronger version of Curaga. It looked as if it were working for a moment but... but then it just stopped. I'm not powerful enough."

Biting her lower lip, Yuffie looked thoughtful for a moment. And then she brightened up.

"I know!" Yuffie whispered with enthusiasm. "Why don't I go get Merlin and Squ- eh, Leon?"

Aerith nodded too. A relieved smile appeared on her face. "That's a wonderful idea! I don't know why I didn't think of that. Go get Merlin, and Leon too... Though I really don't know what Leon would be able to do in this kind of situation."

Yuffie sprinted toward the door and nearly collided with it before throwing it open and then slamming it right behind her. Aerith went back to Esme's side.

"Don't you worry, Ma'am," Aerith assured Esme in _sotto voce_. "Everything is going to be fine. We'll get you fixed up as soon as we can, okay?"

Esme looked wary as she glanced at both Rosalie and Jasper, before nodding. Jasper and Rosalie gravitated toward one another and were shoulder to shoulder as they whispered at a level so low human ears would never be able to pick up their conversation.

"This is bullshit," Rosalie grunted. "_Spell_? Really? We should kill them all. _Now_. Snap their necks and be on our way."

Jasper gave her a sideways look that had her huffing in anger.

"Oh my God!" Rosalie hissed. "Don't tell me you're going back on the plan _you_ came up with?! What happened to killing them all if it didn't work out!?"

"That was before we knew Bella and the Chief were here, Rosalie," Jasper replied, his voice stern. "We can't kill them now, can we?"

The blond vampire rolled her eyes. "I really don't have a problem with killing this little girl and her father, Jasper. She has been nothing but a pain in our asses the moment Edward laid eyes on her. As far as I'm concerned, this is us taking care of the problem."

Jasper sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Do you really think Edward would take that as an adequate excuse for snapping his girlfriend's neck?"

"Oh," Rosalie chuckled darkly with a sneer, "I see... So suddenly the little human accepts you're apology and lets you cry on her shoulder, and now you don't want to kill her?"

"That's not the point I'm trying to get to, Rosalie."

Rosalie whirled to look Jasper in the eye and asked, "Do you really think Edward has any fucks to give about this family anymore since this little piece of human excrement came into our lives? You know as well as I do that it is against the rules set by the Volturi to allow any human to know our secret and live. It was our responsibility to eliminate the threat, and we failed because Edward fancies himself in love with our goddamn prey!

"And now we're in a game of Russian Roulette if the fucking Volturi find out," she hissed. "There's going to be one bullet, seven vampires and one human. And you know what's fucked up about that game? The odds are against the us, because do you really think the Volturi is just going to leave us alone after this?"

The female vampire walked away from Jasper. She turned so fast that her hair had whipped around and slapped him in the face. Rosalie sat down at Esme's side and held her hand again. Jasper, on the other hand, stood as still as a statue. He had a grim look on his face and a sense of awful foreboding that he knew he wouldn't be able to shake.

* * *

Edward and Alice sat under one of the posing golden statues in the square of the coliseum. Alice had an upset look upon her face as she thought about all the things they had learned on their recon around the sprawling city surrounding the coliseum.

Which happened to be absolutely nothing.

Edward could hear her thoughts going on and on and he frowned, wishing desperately for a way to block her thoughts.

"Did you see everyone's clothes?" she whined aloud. "They really did look like Esme's draperies."

He rolled his golden eyes toward the heavens. Their recon mission really was a dead end. No where to stay, jobs immediately disappeared at the sight of the two pale strangers in town.

"I miss Jasper," Alice whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder.

Edward grinned at that comment and chuckled. "It's only been about thirty hours, Alice. Whenever you and Rose would decide for a girl's hunting trip, you would both be gone for just about the same time."

"I know," Alice answered quietly. "But those times I knew exactly where Jasper was and we were both on the same planet. Can you honestly say that you don't miss Bella, Edward?"

"That's a dumb question, Alice," Edward said, still grinning.

Of course, Edward missed Bella! He missed her so much it hurt and in his un-beating heart he knew he had made a colossal mistake in breaking up with her. Oh, how he wished he could go back in time and take it all back. His grin had slipped away to a frown as he thoughts got away from him, but it came back to life with vigor at the sight of Carlisle and Emmett.

Carlisle smiled as he spotted them immediately. Edward was amused to note that Emmett looked positively bored out of his undead mind. Jumping to her, Alice skipped forward like a dainty ballerina with her arms open. Their father took Alice into his arms and embraced her affectionately.

"This place is a bore," Emmett blurted out with a bland look upon his face. "No one would speak to us because we apparently look like albino weirdos."

Their coven patriarch scowled. "Really, Emmett?"

"You heard what that kid said!" Emmett protested. "I _know_ you did, too! It was right before his mother saw us and dragged him inside their house and closed the door!"

"Same with us," Edward said with a sigh, "everyone was wary of the new and queer strangers in town."

Alice pipped up. "There's also a small marketplace a few miles away. There was absolutely nothing there though. All in all, we have absolutely no new info, no where to live, no jobs. And more importantly, we found no way out of where ever here is!"

Alice's face fell completely into a devastated expression that brought all of their spirits down. Even though it had only been about thirty hours without their family and lost in another unknown place, it was still disheartening to hear aloud.

"Well," Emmett said wryly, "on the bright side... We did find what seems to be a pathway to the underworld."

Edward frowned fiercely. "Now is not the time for your sarcastic jokes."

"No, no," Carlisle said in defence of Emmett. "He's telling the truth. What we found surprised us immensely. It was a sort of... _path_ to an underworld, if you can believe that. I'm not exactly sure if it was _the_ underworld but... _well_, I'm still kind of flustered just thinking about."

Eyes widening, Edward's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Father, but can you repeat that again?"

Both Alice and Edward were staring at Emmett and Carlisle incredulously. It had to be impossible! There was no way that they had found some kind of pathway to ... well, _Hell_. Emmett suddenly grinned widely and in a flash his beefy hands were wrapped around both of Alice and Edward's wrists. He began to drag them away.

"What are you doing, you big oaf!"

Emmett's grin shined brighter and he chuckled as he dragged a reluctant Alice and defiant Edward to the pathway they had found.

"Now, now, Edward," he crooned horribly. "That's not a _nice_ word to use even if Rosalie likes to use it all the time... I'm giving you both some solid proof."

Even though her eyes brightened with healthy curiosity, Alice still looked wary. She peered over her shoulder to look back at their coven patriarch, who was following behind them at a more sedate pace.

"Are you certain it's going to be safe going down there? This is the underworld we're talking about!"

Nodding at his smallest coven daughter, Carlisle took her wrist out of Emmett's hold and held her hand in his own. "I assure you, Alice, everything will be fine. Emmett and I were not affected in the least."

* * *

She grimaced at her face in the mirror. She noted with a groan that the dark circles under her eyes made her skin seem even more pale than usual. They implied exhaustion and Bella certainly felt it in body and mind. After washing her face, she turned the light out and closed the door softly behind her. Her footsteps were quiet against the hardwood floor, but Bella was sure that the vampires in the house could hear her loud and clear.

Everyone was still gathered in the living room of the 3rd District safe house. She went to stand next to Charlie, who had been standing near Jasper and Rosalie. They watched as a man named Merlin moved to one knee next to Aerith and Esme. He had an almost infectious spirit that was comforting to Esme.

Bella was astonished to see that he looked exactly like who his name implied him to be. The old man was dressed in what she supposed was a wizard's wardrobe. Merlin even had a pointed wizard's hat on his head. And as he knelt beside Aerith his long beard brushed up against the floor.

"Magic, my lily white ass," Rosalie grumbled on the other side of Charlie. "This old bastard better be for real, Jasper... Or I swear..."

Rosalie's words were muffled from their human ears as she hissed unintelligible words toward her 'twin'. Bella's lips twitched at Rosalie's words slightly. Charlie glanced at Rosalie with a frown though, before his eyes returned to watch Leon warily. Jasper said nothing, unaffected by whatever Rosalie was saying. Like Charlie, it seemed as if he too was wary of the man called Leon.

The feelings in the room mixed like a whirling pool that Jasper fought to keep in check. Concern was the emotion most prominent in the room. But then there was also suspicion, dislike, hostility. And all three emotions were coming from the corner that the man named Leon had occupied since the moment he had arrived. What Jasper found interesting about this was that these emotions seemed to be primarily toward the three vampires in the room.

Coincidence? Jasper didn't think so. After being married to Alice for a little more than half a century, he didn't believe in coincidences.

They all finally gave their attention to Aerith, Merlin and Esme as a soft green glow began to emit from their little huddle. Everyone minus Leon converged on the three as the glow began to over take Esme. They all gasped as they watched the wound on her calf begin to heal itself.

"This is really tingly," Esme squeaked and squirmed in her seat.

The wound knitted together perfectly as the glow dissipated. There was no scar or blemish, just perfect skin in the place the horrible looking wound had been.

"Perfect, my dear!" Merlin said with a jovial smile. "Expect some tenderness for a couple of hours. That symptom is all the same whether you be human, or vampire like yourself."

All three vampire in question froze. Bella gasped in horror while Charlie blinked in confusion. In a flash Jasper and Rosalie stood before Esme protectively. Rosalie bared her razor sharp teeth and growled as she turned to glare dangerously at Bella.

"_**SWAN**_!" she growled ferociously.

Bella must have known immediately what Rosalie had been thinking.

"No!" Bella gasped, before she said vehemently, "I didn't say anything! I swear!"

Jasper glared at his coven sister. "She didn't say anything, Rose! She's telling the truth!"

Turning to his daughter with wide angry eyes, Charlie spat out, "You knew this?! You knew this and you didn't think to tell your father, Isabella!?"

"It wasn't my secret to tell, Dad!" Bella exclaimed.

Suddenly there was a commotion from the corner of the room. Leon pushed away from the wall and with a smooth motion he unsheathed his weapon... and aimed it straight at the three Cullens.

Everything began to escalate quickly from that point on.

Charlie laid his hand on his still sheathed weapon. "I would put that away, son."

Leon's eyes flashed. "If I were you, I wouldn't even think of bringing that weapon out. You might hurt yourself."

Charlie grunted and Bella gasped when he moved to unsheathe it and point it straight at Leon. Her heart began to beat faster and almost nauseous feeling rumbled in her tummy.

"Stop!" Bella pleaded.

"Funny," Charlie sneered at Leon. "I was going to say the exact same thing to you, _kid_."

"Please!" Bella gasped, her eyes widening in fright as Leon took a step closer to her father.

"Don't make me hurt you, _old man_," he said. "And believe me, I won't hesitate to cut you down like I will these three leeches."

There was another pale flash and then a scream tore through the safe house. Rosalie had taken a position behind a frightened Aerith. Bella gasped in fear as she took it all in. Rosalie had both hands around the woman's neck and growled at Leon, baring her teeth. Venom leaked out of one side of her mouth and her eyes were black, pupils completely blown.

"Stop!" Bella pleaded again.

"You would do well to put your weapon down, friend," Jasper said with an almost dangerous drawl. "I would hate for my sister here to snap your lady friend's neck like a tooth pick."

"Get away from her!" Leon shouted, while Yuffie gasped behind him. "Let her go, or I'll put a bullet between this old man's eyes!"

"No!" Bella wailed, her shaking hands grasping at her hair.

"Now really! Is this violence necessary!" Merlin huffed, but he was ignored, as was Bella.

"If you know as much as you think you do about vampires," Jasper wryly, his hands fisting, "then you know it'll happen before your brain processes for you fire your weapon at the Chief..."

"Stop fighting!" Bella screamed, finally drawing attention to her.

Sparks flew around her right hand and before she knew it she was holding the keyblade in her hand. It had an almost opalescent glow that lit up the room. Everyone gasped and stared at the girl holding the key blade incredulously, unable to believe what had happened before them.

"Not another one!" Leon spat out, sheathing his weapon and staring angrily at the girl before him.

Rosalie pushed the human girl she had held captive away from her. Aerith stumbled forward and nearly face planted, but Leon caught her just in time.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Rosalie shouted, voicing the question everyone had on their minds as they continued to stare at Bella.

The girl in question was still holding the blade. She had calmed down considerably, but she still had tears in her eyes. Bella wiped them away with the back of her other hand.

"I can explain.."


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N: Okay, here is the next chapter,I'll try to get the next one up as soon as I can.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

It turned out that the path to this underworld had been closer than either Edward or Alice had anticipated. There had been a door near the entrance of the coliseum that had been the most ordinary of doors and it made them quite uneasy to realize that they had been just about fifty feet away from the entrance. Now that they knew where the door would lead them, it had a more forbidding look to it.

As soon as the door was open, Edward found himself being pushed down a set of moldy stone steps. Edward grunted and growled as Emmett encouraged him to walk at a faster pace.

"You're positively at a human demeanor," Emmett sighed, finally deciding to walk around him to take the lead down the stone steps. "You're a vampire! Jesus, Eddy..."

"It's Edward," the bronze haired vampire hissed, before he grabbed Emmett by the shoulder and held it firmly, "Stay with the group, _Emmy_."

"_Bitch_," Emmett muttered at a human octave.

Edward's grip tightened further on Emmett's shoulder. "What did you call me?!"

"Would you two quiet down?!" Alice hissed out at them. "It'll hear us!"

Both Emmett and Edward stopped in their tracks while trekking down the stone steps. They turned and gave Alice identical looks of amused, yet incredulous bewilderment.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Emmett exclaimed, the amusement clear in his voice. "_It? _What it?"

"Whatever monster is down there!" Alice whispered furiously, her eyes wide and terrified.

Carlisle sighed behind her with a small smile, while both Edward and Emmett chortled. Alice stamped her foot, the stone of the step under her cracking.

"Don't you dare laugh at me!" Alice thundered. "I have a valid fear, you know?! We're going down to some kind of underworld! Something could jump out and rip my throat out!... Or spiders!"

"We're vampires, Alice," Edward said dryly. "We're much more likely to do worse things to them, than them to us."

"That's right, baby!" Emmett crowed. "We're the monsters here! And if there are any spiders down there, I'll take care of 'em for you!"

"Do you mean it?" Alice asked, sounding hopeful.

"Of course, I do!... But if the spiders down there are as big as small dogs- you're on your own, man, because I'm bouncing."

Alice whimpered as they resumed their trek down the stairs. As they walked further and further down, the atmosphere began to change and so did the appearance of the steps. The steps themselves began to become dirtier and dirtier. Mildrew began to appear on the steps, green and a spine tingling purple. The smell of the mildew was disgusting sharp in their nostrils.

"Oh, ew," Alice grimaced as she looked down at the steps. "This purple stuff is getting stuck to the bottom of my Mary Janes."

The light was diminishing little by little, yet there was an eerie glow of purple and green that seemed to be coming from the mildew covered walls and stairs. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs they were silent. Not even a breath was heard. It looked as if they had descended into a cave. There were stalactites the size of elephants and as long as three story buildings looming over them.

Alice, who had been holding Carlisle's hand as tightly as she could, let go and walked forward. Her eyes were wide as she took in the eerie sight around her. As they walked further into this abyss they saw what seemed to be a large body of water. It seemed to stretch on, farther than the naked eye could see in the dimmed light. But further beyond they could just make out a colossal looking structure.

"What is that?" Alice asked aloud.

Carlisle shook his head, "I have no idea."

"We didn't even explore this far into this place," explained Emmett as he squinted his eyes. We mostly stayed near the stairs.. Just in case... I thought vampire eye sight was supposed to be superior? I can barely make anything out in this shit hole."

Edward glanced about with wide eyes. He took Alice by the arm and steered her away from the water's edge. "I think we can all agree it looks more than a little demonic."

"That's because it is."

They all tensed and turned at vampiric speed toward the voice behind them. Both Edward and Emmett crouch down, knees spread in anticipation to spring into action. It confounded them all that they had not heard the stranger approaching, because they would have seen him if he had been standing there the entire time.

This stranger was leaning against a stalagmite with crossed arms. His clothes were dark in color and his hair was a bleached blond. His features were pale and there seemed to be something big strapped to his back, under his cloak.

"This is the underworld's Coliseum," said the stranger with a scowl. "It was made by and is run by Hades himself. It's to satiate the violence and blood lust of the _inmates_."

The four members of the Cullen clan were quiet. They appraised the stranger for a few seconds before Carlisle took the initiative as the clan patriarch. He stepped forward and subtly placed himself in front of Alice.

"My name is Carlisle Cullen," he said while trying to convey an amiable disposition.

Edward and Emmett stayed in their crouching positions. They made no move to introduce themselves and neither did Alice. They decided to leave it to their patriarch.

"These are my children," Carlisle went on. "Edward, Emmett and Alice... I must say, you are the first human that we have come in contact with to willingly speak to us."

The stranger's face remained as blank as before, but he nodded in turn at all of them.

"I am one of the few humans on this world that is from another," the stranger said to them. "I gather from the way you're dressed that you are not from these parts either?"

Carlisle nodded slowly. "You would be correct, Sir. We are from Washington State. It's one of the States."

"I am not familiar with the name," the stranger admitted, raising a hand to rub at his chin. "What is the name of you're planet?"

Carlisle turned and gave a sad look toward the three younger vampires. Alice wore a look of acceptance, while both Emmett and Edward looked devastated. The knowledge that they were indeed on a different planet was disheartening. The patriarch turned back to the stranger.

"We called our planet Earth."

"Our world was attacked by monsters," Alice said from behind Carlisle, ignoring the looks that she garnered from both of the vampires she considered her siblings. "We were sucked into this black gooey hole and we woke up here."

The stranger nodded, his eyes taking in the small and dainty looking Alice. "They're made by little black monsters called the Heartless. They take over worlds and devour it until there is nothing there but empty black space."

The horror in their beings came up from the bottom of their stomachs. Just the idea that their world had been devoured and may no longer be.. It caused goosebumps to prickle on their very beings.

"They also attacked my world, called Hollow Bastion now. It is still there because my people are fighting off the heartless one town at a time. There are not that many of us, to be honest. A small handful of us survived from my town. We've relocated to a small trading planet called Traverse Town until our planet becomes welcoming again."

Edward straightened out of his crouch, but his face was hard and his eyes narrowed his suspicion. "How exactly did you come to be on _this _world then?"

"I came by Gummi Ship," the stranger answered keeping eye contact with Edward.

His eyes were dark and the man showed no weakness. They showed a hardness that none of them had ever seen on anyone other than Jasper. They were the eyes of a hardened soldier who had seen too much in his lifetime.

"Gummi ship?" Alice asked, sounding excited.

"It's a vessel that was created on my planet," the stranger answered. "It can safely transport merchandise or passengers from one world to another. I'm just here for work."

The hardened look Edward had given to the stranger faded as he and his family members exchanged hopeful smiles and grins. This was the information they had been waiting for. They now knew that they definately were on a different world. And they also now knew that there was an easy way to get off and go to another. They needed to fine their missing family members.

"I apologize for being so forward," Carlisle smiled, still looking hopeful. "But I would like to ask if you could quite possibly take us off this world? We were separated from our family members and we would like to be reunited with them as soon as possible."

The stranger was quiet. HIs demeanor nor his facial features had changed. Edward was quite frustrasted with this man, while Emmett wasjust eager to get an answer from him. Once again, the stranger looked at them in turn, but his dark eyes were sharper.

"When was the last time you all fed?"

Eyes widened, unnecessary breaths were sucked in or gasped. What exactly did he mean? Of course, they did know what it meant! But did he?! Did he mean the human way? Or did he mean the vampire way?

The stranger rolled his eyes when all he received were wide eyes and no answers.

"Listen," his voice now sounding strained. "If you haven't fed recently, I'm not going to take the chance of transporting four vampires with me to Traverse Town. I'm far from stupid."

"Yesterday," Alice answered, garnering exasperated looks from her family. "We fed well so we shouldn't need to feed for a good week or two."

Emmett gave her the stink eye. "What the hell, short stuff?!"

"Shut up, Emmett!" she hissed, before turning back to the stranger with a smile. "You've met a vampire before, haven't you?"

The three male Cullens turned to the stranger. He nodded, one part of his lip twitching as a smirk slowly but surely made it's way onto his face. The boys didn't like it, but it was better than the blank look he had.

Edward frowned as he squinted at the man, his eyes straining as he tried to glean any kind of information from his thoughts. The man was certainly getting on his last nerves.

"Yeah, we were..." the stranger pursed his lips. "I suppose you could have called us acquaintances. His name was Vincent Valentine. I haven't seen him since efore the Heartless attacked our world."

Letting out a breath of annoyance, Edward abandoned his endeavor. He crossed his arms and looked at the stranger balefully. He felt like reprimanding the man for having a blessedly silent mind, but he supposed that would come out childish and a tad... creepy. And he most certainly did not want to ruin his family's chance at getting off this God forsaken world, so shouting out "_WHY CAN'T I HEAR YOU'RE THOUGHTS?!_" - was out of the question.

"I suppose I could take you as far as Traverse Town," the stranger sighed, looking quite put upon. "That's where I'm going after this job, so you vamps are going to have to wait at least a day or two for me. Got it?"

Carlisle smiled widely, looking and certainly feeling thankful "Yes, of course! Thank you very much, Mr...?"

The stranger turned his back on them and began to climb the stairs that they had previously walked down. His voice echoed down into the cavern.

"The name is Cloud Strife."

"Thank you, Cloud!" Alice called out, before turning to her family and squealing like a teenage girl. "Yes!"

* * *

"- And it just came to me," Bella whispered, her voice echoing off of the walls as everyone stood in silence. "It was a weird tingly feeling in my arm and then..."

She gestured to the key blade still in her grasp. "It just happened."

"GODDAMNIT!" Leon shouted angrily before he strided for the door.

The door to the safehouse slammed shut, shaking the house and echoing harshly in their ears. Rosalie hissed while everyone else frowned.

"What the hell is up his ass?" Rosalie asked loudly and certainly not kindly.

"That is a story for another time, my dear," Merlin sighed before turning to Bella with a kind smile. "I must admit though, I never thought I would meet a key blade holder - let alone two in my life time!"

"Is that what I am?" asked Bella, completely fascinated. "A key blade holder."

Merlin nodded with a warm smile. "A key blade wielder, to be exact, my dear! You should feel proud to call yourself one as there are only ever _one_ to be chosen from each world!"

Bella was absolutely astonished at this information. "Only one?... I'm the only one to be chosen from my world?"

"That's right, my dear," confirmed Merlin with another nod. "Key blade wielders are chosen to fight off the heartless."

The old man removed his glasses before cleaning them on his robes. "They are chosen because of certain qualities and attributes I cannot comprehend to know of... But I also theorize it must be because they are pure of heart.

"The heartless themselves were created by the hate in our hearts and souls, you know," Merlin mentioned quietly. "... And they will continue to exist as long as we harbor that hate for them to feed off of... But a pure heart with little to no hate within it..."

Bella gulped and looked down to her tennis shoes as everyone's eyes suddenly glanced her way. She could feel her blush run up from her chest, up her neck and them to her face.

"A pure heart devoid of hate would be a saving grace for any world," Merlin mused aloud to himself before sighing and heading toward the door. "I have kept your attention for quite too long now. I must be off. It was lovely to meet you all and Miss Esme - I do stress that you rest yourself, keep off your leg, my dear!"

"Thank you, sir," Esme thanked kindly.

They all watched as Merlin left. The old man closed the door softly behind him and Aerith locked it shut. The silence was almost deafening. Deciding to take the initiative, Yuffie cleared her voice. She nearly squeaked in alarm as the vampires in the room turned to look her way, but she quickly gathered her composure.

"Eh- Why don't I show everyone to a room?" Yuffie smiled hesitantly. "Bella and Charlie can have a room together - Oh! I- I hope you both don't mind."

Charlie and Bella glanced at each other awkwardly. Bella shook her head while Charlie kept his mouth shut.

"That's fine," Bella answered weakly. "Er, my dad and I have never shared a room before but erm, yeah, it's okay."

"If it's okay with my daughter," said Charlie, looking completely the awkward dad he felt, "It's alright with me."

They all followed after Yuffie. Jasper held Esme in his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder with tired eyes. Bella made to follow after her father, Jasper and Esme, but a strong cold hand gripped her arm tightly.

"Bella," Rosalie said quietly, her eyes glinting a dangerous gold. "You know, there are parts of your story that seemed to be missing. I'll let you get some rest though, but tomorrow morning- I am going to hear it all. Do you understand me?"

Bella nodded quickly, her eyes wide. Rosalie let go of her arm and then followed her brother. Letting out the breath she had not known she was holding, Bella followed after her a moment later. It seemed that no matter any circumstance, Rosalie's demeanor would remain the same.


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long. I had to rewrite it and then rewrite it again and I just couldn't find a rewrite that I was satisfied with. Well, I'm finally satisfied. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

Bella had a surprisingly good night sleep. As soon as her head had hit the pillow, she was out like a light. She didn't remember what exactly she had dreamt about, but she supposed it wasn't so bad.

The next thing she knew she was blinking her eyes in the dark and wide awake. She turned over to look at the bed nearest the door and it was empty. The covers had been neatly made over the bed and there was obvious signs that it had been slept it. Bella supposed that Charlie had woken before her and quietly made it so as not to wake her.

She got out of bed and tried her hand at making the bed. After stubbing her toes on the wooden legs of the bed one too many times, Bella decided it was as neat as it was going to be, before she headed out of the bedroom with her tennis shoes in hand. Just as she exited the room Jasper walked out of the door across from her. He smiled at her and she returned it hesitantly, raking a hand through her long brown hair and away from her face.

"Good morning," Jasper greeted quietly.

"Yeah," she greeted, lamely and awkwardly. "Er, did you have a good night? You know, not sleeping."

She cursed herself mentally and Bella was sure that Jasper could feel the embarrassment radiating right off of her. She was never one to be so articulate this soon after she woke up. Conversation between herself and Charlie in the morning usually consisted of short grunts and even shorter (if that was to be believed) questions and goodbyes.

Jasper grinned. "Naw, it was completely boring. Esme rested while Rosalie and I argued..."

His grin disappeared and he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "She wants to talk to you, ya know. Told her to leave you alone, but Rosalie is nothing if not a stubborn mule -"

There was a loud thud that almost had the wall vibrating. Bella had a sick feeling that it had been Rosalie's fist connecting with the wall. No doubt the vampire had heard exactly what Jasper had just called her.

"Was that - ?"

"Yep," Jasper answered quickly. "That was her. She doesn't like all this dilly-dallying we're doing at such a disdainfully human pace, nevermind that you yourself are human... You don't have to talk to her, if you don't want to. She wants to get your side of the story of this whole... _mess_."

Bella shook her head. "It's okay. I can talk to her if she wants... Are you going to be there?"

Jasper nodded and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Me and Esme. You won't be alone. And even if you were, Rosalie wouldn't hurt you.. physically. She'd probably crumble Mother Teresa's self confidence with a look of contempt and a few choice words."

Bella laughed nervously as Jasper opened the door and gestured for her to walk in first. She hoped that what Jasper had said was a joke, but he certainly didn't laugh with her. Bella abruptly stopped laughing as she entered the bedroom.

The bedroom itself was slightly bigger than the one that had been given to Bella and her father. Bella was sure that it was to accommodate the extra bed. Esme was laying on one bed with her leg propped up on a pillow. She smiled sweetly at Bella in greeting and Bella returned it in kind, feeling a rush of affection for the caramel haired vampire.

Rosalie sat cross-legged on another. Her hands were clasped together in her lap and her face was blank and uncaring. Bella supposed this was a good representation of a _'chronic case of resting bitch face'._

"So what happened before you came here?" Rosalie asked, surprising Bella with a soft toned voice.

Jasper looked toward his sister with a wry expression. "Good morning to you, too, Rose.. She's had a good night's sleep, if you wanted to know, woman."

Rosalie glared at Jasper. "I will not waste time exchanging meaningless greetings and questions."

The blonde vampire turned back to Bella. "As Jasper told you in the hall, we argued last night amongst ourselves. I have been persuaded to set aside my feelings and be... civil, somewhat. But believe me that I _will not _go out of my way to exchange..._pleasantries_ with you."

Bella nodded, wide eyed.

"Now," Rosalie said sharply. "What happened before you came here?"

"Er-uh," Bella stuttered at first. She was feeling a little overwhelmed by the attention that the three vampires were giving her. "Uh, well, Charlie and I were sucked into this black gooery wormhole that brought us here..."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Yes, Swan, we know that. My family witnessed it ourselves."

Bella was wide eyed again. "You did?"

Jasper answered for his coven sister. "Yep. Once we heard the broadcast over the radio, Edward had the whole family high-tail it back to Forks. We got to your house in time to see you and the Chief almost nose deep in the black gooey wormhole."

Her eyes watered and her breath hitched at the new information. Edward? He came back? After he...

"Oh," Bella whispered. "I didn't know."

"What I also want to know is how the hell did you two get into it?" Rosalie asked, standing and looking down her nose at Bella. "And for the love of God, please don't tell me you and your father just walked right on into it because you weren't _paying attention_."

Bella shook her head frantically. "No! No, we didn't just walk into it, Rosalie! Right as I was running out of the woods I saw my dad fighting these black little monsters and I helped him with the key blade! Then another monster came, but he was bigger than all the other ones. I tried fighting him but he.. I don't know any other word but _melted_; he melted right into a black gooey mess right at my feet and we were sucked right on into it!"

"What the hell were you doing in the woods?" Rosalie asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

Clearing her throat, Bella looked away. She shuffled her weight from one foot to another and swallowed.

"I was there with E-Edward," she explained, tucking a long piece of brown hair behind her ear. "Before you guys left, he took me to the woods and - well, he probably already told you what he was doing... When he left me there I got kind of lost and -"

"Hold on there, Bella," Jasper snapped, lifting a hand in her direction. "Are you telling me Edward took you out to the woods and left you there?! And you got lost?!"

"What I want to know is why he took you out to the woods in the first place," Rosalie frowned deeper. "What the hell kind of male takes a female out to the woods to say goodbye?"

"Edward, apparently," Jasper scoffed. "He's so 'emo' it's embarrassing... So he actually had to take you out of the house to set up his own environment for a 'goodbye'... Jesus, Edward."

Bella let out a hesitant chuckle.

"He is kind of dramatic, isn't he?" she asked aloud. "He was even dramatic when he broke up with me."

"What?!"

All three vampires gaped. While Jasper and Esme looked completely flummoxed, Rosalie looked pleasantly surprised.

"He broke up with you?" Esme asked, bewildered still. "He didn't tell us that, he just said that he wanted to say goodbye."

"I thought he was just going to give you our new contact details," Jasper said as he gave her a sympathetic look.

"I didn't know he had it in him," Rosalie mused, actually looking like she would smile.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," said Esme softly.

Bella shrugged, nibbling on her lower lip. Her eyes stung with unshed tears but she blinked them away and smiled as much as she could. She knew that they could probably tell it was a fake smile, but she tried anyway. It was mistake, because as soon as she tried to smile wider her face crumbled and a sob escaped.

"You d-don't have to be sorry," Bella sniffled as Jasper began to pat her back. "I mean, the way he broke up with me... I-it just makes me believe that he might not have had real feelings for me."

Straightening in his position, Rosalie's eyes grew sharp.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her voice serious.

"I just..." Bella waved a hand in the air and then she let it fall to slap her thigh as she tried to explain as best as she could. "I think he was just interested in me because of the whole blank mind thing. And also with the way I smell. When he broke up with me... He was like an emotionless robot. He didn't have any qualms about setting me straight when I assumed that I would be going with you guys, too... I just.. I just really don't think he had ever really loved me as much as I loved him. Still love him, really."

Rosalie turned to Jasper, who closed his eyes and sighed. There was a fire in her molten gold eyes that had not been there before. Bella took a step back and startled when her back met the door. Jasper turned and shrugged to his sister before he turned back to Bella with crossed arms.

"His feelings seemed pretty genuine, Bella," Jasper tried to assure her, but it seemed to be a weak one. "There are some things that you have to understand about us, Bella. Vampires experience emotions much _more_ than humans. When we love, it's forever."

Bella shook her head and looked down to her shoes as Jasper spoke on.

"He loved - _loves_ you," said Jasper firmly as he took in the emotionally insecure girl before him. "Once we love, we love hard. _Forever_; and there is nothing that can change that love. It's not a switch, Bella, because there is no switch."

Bella continued to shake her head. "I'm sorry, Jasper, but that just makes me believe even more that he may not have loved me in the first place. Because then why would he have br-broken up with me?"

Jasper opened his mouth to come up with some kind of explanation, but he closed it again. He had no answer for that. He had no idea why Edward would have done that. Jasper was never wrong when it came to reading emotions, he was an empath after all. But there were times where he had mistaken whom the emotions had been for or about.

He kept his face blank as his vampiric hearing heard the catches of breath in Bella's chest. No doubt she was holding back more sobs of grief he could feel bubbling up in her stomach. Jasper glanced to Rosalie. His sister stared at the human girl with an unreadable expression on her face. She was angry, that much was evident. About what though, Jasper wouldn't be able to tell you.

Jasper took a deep breath before he plastered on a fake smile and gently guided Bella out of the room by placing a hand on the small of her back.

"We'll talk more about this later, okay, Bella?"

Bella sniffled and nodded, allowing the vampire to guide her. There was not much she could do about that really, seeing as she would never be able to fight off the vampiric strength. But then it wasn't really like she wanted to be there anymore, talking about Edward.

"You should go eat something, okay," Jasper said to her with the same fake smile. "Those two girls should be cooking... something. I uh, I can't really tell you what it is since all food smells like shit to us."

His smile must have been incredibly believable, because she smiled back with a huffing laugh and nodded again. Jasper closed the door softly behind her. All three vampires waited in silence and listened with superior hearing as the human girl made her way slowly down the hall and then finally down the stairs.

Jasper finally dropped the fake smile and then turned to glare at his coven sister.

"I guess you couldn't hold on, huh?" he snarked. "You couldn't hold back the glare of hate."

Rosalie rolled her eyes and she smiled as she sat next to Esme, who was looking mighty disappointed. The blond laughed as she examined her nails.

"Hate?" she asked with a laugh. "I don't hate her! Not really... I just hate her choices. You can't deny that she makes the shittiest choices... She had no idea what she was giving up, choosing this life. But, I guess she has nothing more to worry about since Edward apparently broke up with her. Boohoo."

"Oh! Rosalie!" Esme scolded. "Please don't be that way with this poor young woman!"

"She's a _little girl_!" Rosalie argued with a grimace. "Edward was her first boyfriend, first crush, kiss, everything! Imagine how annoying she would have been if they would have had sex!"

Esme gaped, appalled. Jasper sighed and sat on one of the beds.

"Someone needs to speak to her this way!" Rosalie continued to argue. "Her father is obviously letting her walk all over him. And from what Edward has said, her mother is a total _flake_! She claims being a grown woman trapped in the body of a teenager, but she is nothing more than a naive child with a unique taste in literature and music."

She finally huffed and calmed down as soon as he rant was over. If she would have been human, her cheeks no doubt would have been flushed.

"Are you done, finally?" Jasper asked with a raised eyebrow, feeling a little amused.

Rosalie smiled again. "No. I have no doubt this little human girl will do something else that will trigger a rant in the future. She's trouble personified.

"You should keep an eye on her, though, Jasper," Rosalie warned, wagging a finger at him.

All amusement fled from Jasper and he sat up straighter. There was no telling whenever Rosalie would decided to doll out a death threat and after living in the same household with her for just over fifty years, Jasper knew she would be able to pull any threat off.

"Is that a threat, Rosalie?" Jasper asked as he tried to keep his voice even.

She rolled her eyes again and laid back on her bed.

"It's not a threat, stupid," Rosalie sighed, once again examining her already perfect nails. "It's a valid statement. If she's so into all those books she likes to read, she's might throw herself off of a cliff."

She suddenly laughed loudly at her own words. Esme began to scold her again, but Rosalie continued on laughing at what she thought was a joke.

"Did you get the reference?"

Jasper growled. "Shut up, Rosalie."


End file.
